Is Satan / the devil omnipresent?

Response

No, Satan is not omnipresent. In other words, he is not present everywhere simultaneously. The devil is confined to being in one location at a time.

Because Satan is a finite, created being, omnipresence cannot be ascribed to him “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”, (Ezekiel 28:15). Christ created all things “for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”, (Colossians 1:16), including the devil—although Satan was not originally an evil being. Satan has limitations and is not infinite in any way, including in his presence. Only God is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-11).

The book of Job reveals that Satan can travel to heaven and move about the earth “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.”, (Job 1:6). Although the devil can go to different places, he is never depicted as being present everywhere. Satan and his demons do possess abilities that humans do not, but they are nevertheless limited. The demons had to depart from the possessed man of the Gerasenes in order to enter the pigs “Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently.Down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.” , (Luke 8:33), and Satan is described as leaving Jesus in the desert after tempting Him “Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.” , (Matthew 4:11). If he left Jesus, he was no longer present with Jesus. It is evident that Satan is limited in space and time.

Because the devil is a deceiver “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” , (Revelation 12:9), he tries to make people believe that he is omnipresent like God. Satan fell because of his sin of pride and desire to be like God (Isaiah 14:13-14). Therefore, it is understandable that the devil would want to deceive humans into believing that he is present everywhere. It may seem as if Satan is present everywhere at the same time because of widespread spiritual attacks, but that is an illusion. Satan has numerous demons in his service who also carry out his schemes (Matthew 12:24;Ephesians 6:12). Charles Ryrie comments: “The very large number of demons may make them seem to be everywhere present, though that is not so. Yet Satan working with them can use their number to attempt to promote his plans everywhere” (Basic Theology, Moody Publishers, 1999, p. 186).

Believers need to be aware of Satan’s schemes and his desire to do harm (2 Corinthians 2:11;Ephesians 6:11). Even though Satan is a pPowerful enemy, he is not God and he is not omnipresent. God alone is omnipresent, and God alone is sovereign (Jeremiah 23:24; Psalm 115:3). Satan may be roaming the earth now, but one day he will be confined to the lake of fire, where he “will be tormented day and night forever and ever” «And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. », (Revelation 20:10).